A road trip is brewing. The destination: Lapland. The vehicle? To be determined (and purchased). The only requirements are that it be big and American.
Candidate #1? A 1987 Chevrolet Caprice wagon.

I'm a Finn, but I've never been to Lapland, the mystical northern region known for its fells (mountains), deer and Santa Claus. My plan is to
cross the border from Finland to Norway and arrive in Nordkapp, the northernmost point of Scandinavia by the Arctic Sea. And I want to arrive in style, so
I need a car.

My friend Mikko has a passion for American iron, having previously owned an '80s Camaro and currently has an AMC Rebel. Since he'll be my driving partner
we decided to pick up a cheap American car for the coming road trip.

We found the first candidate quickly: a matte black Chevy Caprice Estate. Here in Finland, most of those were imported using an 1980s import-tax loophole,
which means they've been converted to commercial vans by gutting the rear seat and replacing the structure with a wooden board. That aspect might make for
uncomfortable road-tripping, so we're considering sedans, ironically, since they're actually more practical. But not before seeing the Caprice in the
metal.

It was enormous compared to the Mercedes 190E and BMW E34 we drove up in. And equal parts menacing and whimsical: Matte black paint, fake bullet hole
stickers and a throaty V-8 rumble that captured the attention of everyone around it. This Caprice had been what we call a lauluauto; a car for
cruising and drinking and singing. (It's a cultural thing.)

We were told the Chevy didn't have a valid inspection (all Finnish cars older than a couple years need to be checked out annually), but that it probably
wouldn't require a lot of work to pass. The brake lights were supposedly out of commission, but when the seller slammed the tailgate, they magically
started working. The car also had some cosmetic rust, a busted windshield, and winter tires that probably had three studs left in total.

We kept things simple on the test drive, cruising around the block a couple times for fear of getting caught driving a non-road-legal barge with crap
tires. The car ran right, didn't leak, and was straight enough - but we passed on it. The seller wanted 1,000 Euros and you can buy an example with a clean
inspection for a little more. Maybe even with a real back seat. So, the search for our Lapland Cruiser continues. Stay tuned.